Given how common eating disorders are, it is likely that there are people in your faith community who are at risk of, or experiencing, an eating disorder. There are also likely to be people who know someone with an eating disorder. Faith communities can provide an invaluable source of support for people who are on this journey. At times, they can also cause (often unintentional) harm.
This section offers some thoughts from people with experience with eating disorders about how Christian leaders can foster safe and supportive faith community environments.
It also addresses some questions specific to Christians who provide pastoral care for people experiencing eating disorders, including youth leaders, pastoral carers in healthcare settings and small group leaders.
For more general information about how you might respond to someone who has (or who you think might have) an eating disorder, you might like to visit the I Know Someone at Church who Struggles with Eating page. Further resources are also available.
People who have experienced eating disorders ask that you ‘hang in there’ with them through the often long and non-linear journey. Recovery from eating disorders can happen, but it takes time.
